Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1887-02-12

not committed the crime OF abandon
ing me.
THAT crime was committed against
me. l was the victim-they were the
criminals. was heipless-they were
pitiless. They ought to have loved ME
they flung me from them.
81 owed them my life-but is life a
gift? Mine, at all events, was simply
curse. Alter their shameful abandon
ment of me, owed them nothing but
revenge. They perpetrated against me
the most inhuman, the most mon
strous act which 1t is possible 10 COM
NIT against human being.
| "The man who is cursed at strikes
| back; the man who is robbed seeks to
wrest back from the robber by force,
| that which belongs to him. The man
who is duped, Knocked, martyrized,
| kills: the man who has his face slapped
in public. kills; the man who is dis
honored, kills. | have been worse
robbed. worse duped, worse martyr
lied, worse insulted, and dishonored
morally than any one of those whose
anger you might condone.
81 have avenged myself; have kill
ed. That was my legitimate right! |
took their happy life away, in exchange
for that hideous life which they impos-
ed upon me.
"Xou may talk OF parricide! Were
they ever to be considered my parents
these people by whom was ragard-
ed merel y as an abominable burden,
a terror, a load OF infamy-these peo-
pie for whom my birth was a calam-
ity, and my life a perpetual menace OF
shame? They sought only their own
egotIstical will, they had a child they
did not want. They suppressed that
child. And my turn came at last to
suppress them likewise.
"And, nevertheless, it is only little
while ago, that | was ready to leave
them.
about two years ago, as | have al
ready told you, the man who was my
father entered my shop for the first
time. had no suspicion then. He
ordered two articles offurniture made.
He had previously-as l afterward
learned-made inquiries about me of
the parish priest, under promise OF
secrecy. as you may well imagine.
"He came back often; gave me plenty
OF work to do, and paid me well. Some.
times he would even converse with ME
about this topic or that topic-differ-
ent things. l felt an atfectionate re-
gard for him.
About the commencement of the
year he brought to my place, for the
first time, his wife-my mother. When
ii, cd ho
! at first supposed her to be afflicted
with some nervous disease. Then she
asked for chair and a glass OF water.
She said nothing; she stared at my
furniture like crazy W oman; and when
he asked her anything she could only
answer, YES No. at random.
By the time she left / had begun to
think that her mind was slightly az
fected.
"She came again the following
month. That time she was calm
and self-possessed. They gave me
quite large order, and chatted
with me for quite considerable time.
saw her three times more after that
without suspectlng anything; but, 10
and behold, enc day she began to
question me about my life, about my
childhood. about my parents.
Madam, ! said my parents were
miserable wretches, who disowned
me-
when / said that she pressed her
hand over her heart and fell senseless
to the floor. thought to myself at
once, That is my mother But /
knew better than to betray myself.
waited to see her come again.
"You may be sure l made inquiries.
/ learned they had only been married
the July before, my mother had then
been widow three years. There
were whispered rumoTs that they had
loved during the lifetime of the hus.
band; but there. was no proof. /. /
was the proof-the proof they had be-
gan by hiding, and had afterwards
hoped to destroy.
II waited. She came again one
evening. accompanied, as usual, by
my father. That day she seemed to
be very much affected. / do not know
why. Then, Just as she was going
away, she turned and said to me:
al wish you well, because you APP
pear to be a good young man and an
industrious one. You will be thinking
about getting married one of these
days; | want to help you to choose
yourself wife that you know will
suit you. | myself was once married
against my will, and know how much
suffering an unfortunate match may
cause. Now j am free, without chill
dren and rich-mistress OF my own
fortune. Here is your dowry.'
''She handed me big sealed envel-
ope. | looked at her very hard. l
said to her:
"'You are my mother
"She shrank back little and hid
her face with her hands, so as not to
see me. He-the NANNY father
caught her IN his arms and shouted
to me:
"'Why, you must be crazyp
81 answered: Not bit. / knowyou
two are my parents. You cannot
fool me that way. Confess the truth
and keep your secret; will have no
ill will against you; ] will remain just
what am a cabinetmaker.'
"He moved back toward thu door,
supporting his wife in his arms she
was sobbing. rushed to the door,
locked it. put the key in my pocket,
and said again:
Look at her, and dare to deny
again that she is my mother
Then he lost his temper, turned
white-terrified at the idea that the
CO. dol h l. I'D